Thirroul Thunder retained their Illawarra Premier League 2 Second Grade title in dramatic fashion, edging out newcomers Dandaloo 1-0 in the grand final at Macedonia Park on Saturday morning.
It took until the fourth minute of second-half stoppage for the first and winning goal to hit the back of the net for the now nine-time Second Grade champions.
Newly-promoted Dandaloo were contesting their first grand final since being promoted this year, against the competition’s heavyweight league champions.
Dandaloo had beaten Thirroul 2-1 just a couple of weeks earlier in the first week of the finals and had intentions of repeating the feat this time around.
The first half proved a tight affair, with both teams grappling for a consistent hold of possession.
Dandaloo had the first major opportunity of the match just before the midway point of the first half. The side fired a right-wing ball into the box, but Nathan Puljic couldn’t get on the end of it.
Dandaloo were dealt a blow in the 26th minute when Thomas Cleverly was forced off with injury, who scored the team’s second goal in their qualifying finals win over the Thunder.
Thirroul also showed some promise in the first half, but they couldn’t make the most of it. Despite chances falling both ways, the teams couldn’t be separated at halftime, with the deadlock still to be broken.
The second half was again a close encounter.
On the hour mark, Thirroul’s Eric Djoeandy saw his close-range header saved by Dandaloo goalkeeper Kyle Booth, but as the game went on, it looked like the first goal would win it.
The game came to life in the final 10 minutes.
In the 87th minute, Dandaloo had a glorious chance to take the lead when substitute Byron Chaplain raced through on goal one-on-one, but he rolled the ball agonisingly wide.
The game was destined for extra time, with scores still locked at 0-0 heading into second-half stoppage time, but Thirroul had one last chance with a left-sided free-kick in the 94th minute.
Corey Haines-Grose whipped the ball into the box where Dean Morosin got to it first and steered a header inside the far post to secure a late winner for the Thunder.
The Thunder saw out the remaining moments to celebrate another history-making win for their Second Grade team.
In addition to this being the ninth time they have won the big dance, the result also means they have claimed the league and grand final double in back-to-back seasons.
Report – Tim Gibson
Photos – Gragrapix
